Tag: Nigeria

Nigeria: 16 killed after New Year’s Eve church service

January 2, 2018 Nigeria Nigeria, Omuku, Rivers State

At least 16 people were killed as gunmen opened fire at churchgoers returning from a midnight service on New Year’s Eve in Omuku, a town in Nigeria’s southern Rivers state. According to the BBC, the New Year’s Eve fireworks initially made it difficult for people to realise that shots were . . . Read More

A Nigerian Christmas: no will or means to celebrate

January 1, 2018 Nigeria Christmas, Fulani herdsmen, Nigeria, Plateau

How do Christians under pressure for their faith celebrate Christmas? In the ninth installment of our series, we hear from Nigerians in central Plateau State affected by violence. While the Islamist group Boko Haram has gained notoriety for its attacks on civil, military and Christian targets, a second source of . . . Read More

Nigeria: Plateau attackers arrested, as Christians call for grazing ban

December 12, 2017 Nigeria Church of Christ in Nigeria, Fulani herdsmen, Jos, Nigeria, Plateau

Many experts now report that ongoing violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where mainly Muslim Fulani herdsmen have attacked predominantly Christian farmers, has killed more people than Boko Haram. Now, after a period of relative calm, that violence has resumed in Plateau state, which has also witnessed the deadliest sectarian violence . . . Read More

Nigeria: Government failure and the spread of Fulani herdsmen attacks in Adamawa state

December 11, 2017 Nigeria Adamawa, Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen, Nigeria, Sultan of Sokoto

”I watched helplessly as the Fulani herdsmen killed people and burnt houses. They did this with glee on their faces. Numan [Local Government Area] and its environs belong to us. If the government cannot protect us, then we have no choice but to protect our land, our heritage and the . . . Read More

Freedom of thought ‘regressing on a global scale’

December 6, 2017 Global News -- No Particular Country Afghanistan, Apostasy, Asia Bibi, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, China, Comoros, Education, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Human rights, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Qatar, Religious freedom, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, The Gambia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

There are many Pakistani Christian women like Aasiya Noreen who live in fear of the Blasphemy law in their country and the (potential of) abuse. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

The 2017 Freedom of Thought Report, presented yesterday (5 December), should be alarming “to all who care about freedom of thought and expression”, as it shows “a pattern of regression on a global scale”, says its editor, Bob Churchill. The report, published by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) . . . Read More

Nigeria: Northern Christian leaders claim government lacks political will to stop Fulani herdsmen’s impunity

December 5, 2017 Nigeria Christian Association of Nigeria, Church of Christ in Nigeria, Fulani herdsmen, Jos, Nigeria, Plateau

Christian leaders in northern Nigeria have continued to lament the impunity with which Fulani herdsmen are attacking Christians in the region, especially in Plateau state, and the lack of political will by the federal government to stop it – in spite of their repeated calls. Last Thursday (30 November), at . . . Read More

Nigeria: Boko Haram survivor and her baby ‘shamed’

December 1, 2017 Nigeria Acid attacks, Boko Haram, Borno, Converts, Gwoza, Islamic extremism, Nigeria, Rape, Trauma, UN, West Africa, Women

Boko Haram survivor Esther*, holding her daughter Rebecca in her arms. (Photo: World Watch Monitor)

As Islamic extremist group Boko Haram continues to hold young women captive in West Africa, some have been rescued only to return to their homes in shame, finding themselves labelled “Boko Haram women”. Until October 2015 Esther* lived the normal life of a 17-year-old in Gwoza, a town in southern . . . Read More

Kidnapped optician ‘shot dead after singing Amazing Grace’

November 28, 2017 Nigeria Delta State, Ian Squire, Kidnapping, Nigeria

The British optician kidnapped and killed last month in Nigeria died in a hail of bullets after singing the hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ to lift the spirits of his fellow hostages, two of them said. Ian Squire, 57, was killed instantly by shots fired by one of four gang members who . . . Read More

Nigeria: Fulani Christians call for peace as violence continues in Plateau

November 15, 2017 Nigeria Christian Association of Nigeria, Fulani herdsmen, Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria, Plateau

Fulani Christians in Nigeria have spoken out against the persistent attacks and killings attributed to Fulani herdsmen in the central state of Plateau, calling on them to embrace peace and shun all acts of violence. Rev. Buba Aliyu, chairman of the Fulbe Christian Association of Nigeria, led a contingent of . . . Read More

Persistent Fulani violence ‘indicates ethnic cleansing’ of Nigerian Christians

November 14, 2017 Nigeria Benue, Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen, Middle Belt, Nigeria

A new report detailing the sustained attack on Christian communities by Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria’s central state of Benue concludes that the number and ferocity of incidents is evidence of ethnic cleansing. Further, signs of ethnic cleansing on Christian communities “are likely to become increasingly evident” in light of a . . . Read More

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